“Anyone can give up, it’s the easiest thing in the world to do. But to hold it together when everyone else would understand if you fell apart, that’s true strength.”

Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Chapter Three

In all honesty, I was going to hold off and post this tomorrow, but I'm soo excited about this story, that I can't help but keep posting more and more... hope ya'll don't mind, especially since that last chapter seemed to have us all in tears. Plus, I'm kind of wondering how you will react to my muse for this story... like I told Miss RebelHeart yesterday, his dorky-ness and eye rolling have completely won me over. *sigh* Well, let me know what ya think in the comments!!

Putting a tune with this one... it's just in my head and I think it's a beautiful piece... if you haven't heard all 3 parts, please, take the time and listen to the other 2 while you are reading because it's so beautiful.

“I want to thank everyone for coming out today.All the proceeds from today will be going to Shoot For The Cure, a charity that is very important to me.Everyday someone new is diagnosed with a spinal cord injury from various trauma that occurs.Please check out all the memorabilia around the room and put in your bids for the silent auction that will be held at the end of the hockey game.We will also be holding an autograph session afterwards.Enjoy the game!” I concluded while I stood on the ice in front of about 5,000 people who had turned out the charity game I put together.We had done something like this a few years ago and it yielded a good turnout then, but this year it seemed like we hit it big.There was a huge turn-out from the Knights alumni, including my buddies Kaner and Tavares.Corey Perry had even taken some time out of from his summer to join his old team and to help support my charity.I think a lot of it had to do with the fact that the head injuries and spinal chord injuries were really brought to the forefront in the last two seasons.

The game went well, the Knights alumni beat the alumni from the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds, despite Jeff Carter putting on quite the show, which might have had something to show after getting dumped by the Flyers. It was a blast to play with a bunch of the people I had idolized and even better to be playing in front of my home fans.I spend a short time playing for the Knights, but my time spent here will always be remembered.

“Quite the production, buddy,” Kaner came over and clapped me on the shoulder.We had just finished signing autographs and now everyone had begun just mingling before the silent auction began.

“Thanks,” I grinned over at him.“I’m just glad this turned out to be a success, I should have a nice fat check to pass over to the charity.”

“I had a lot of fun being back on the ice with you and Jonny.It was like old times with you passing me the puck so I could get the goals.”

I just rolled my eyes at my friend.His cocky attitude was nothing I wasn’t used to.In fact, it was probably why we were such good friends.Kaner showed me it was okay to have a little bit of swagger to get that edge in your game.As for the ladies, well, I watched him get slapped one too many times to know that it doesn’t always give you the edge on that subject.

It seemed like yesterday that I had been drafted to the Knights, playing on this ice and being cheered by the crowd whenever Kaner and I would make a sick pass or highlight reel goal.Hell, it seemed like yesterday when I was drafted 6th by the Edmonton Oilers.A lot had changed in the last few years.I was now an NHL player, like my father had been and no longer did I feel as if I was living under his shadow.It was my choice to pursue hockey as a career, but it was my father that did the pushing to become an elite hockey player, something that I was still working on even after making the big show.For some reason I had never been given the hands or speed that some of my friends seemed to have possessed without much practice.My speed and hands were learned and practiced.Luckily I was born with good hockey sense, making me the complete package.

As much as I wanted to make the Oilers right out of camp in my rookie year, I was still shocked when they told me that I made the team.I really expected to be sent back to the Knights, which in all honesty, I would have been okay with.I was very young when I moved up into the big show.Luckily I had some great guys on my team to keep an eye on me.

People would say I still have a lot of growing up to do, but I just figure I’m still young and that is the excuse I’m sticking to.I act like an adult when it’s warranted, like tonight’s function for instance, but when I’m with my friends or at home I like to do what any other 21 year old guy likes to do.

“So what are we doing tomorrow?” Patrick asked suddenly.

“Um…I put my hands in my pockets and looked down at the ground.Eden wants to go out and do some art shopping for the new place…” I mumbled waiting for the onslaught this was going to unleash.

“Seriously?! Who the fuck goes art shopping?! You are 21 years old, not 50!” he exclaimed, almost spitting out his beer.

“I promised her the other day already,” I tried to defend.

“You are whipped.”

“Whatever.”

Whatever.You know he is right.Me and Eden had been together for about a year now.It is my first real serious relationship and I’m just going with the flow.She’s hot and she’s good in bed, that’s all that mattered right?I can’t say I’m overly thrilled with the fact that she feels it’s her job to decorate my new house, especially since I haven’t actually asked her to move in with me, but whatever.I’m just going with the flow.

I met her last summer here in London at one of the bars I frequented.Initially Doughty had her on the dance floor, but by the end of the night she was walking out the door with me.She said something about him not being “fit” enough for her tastes, which I just laughed about because Drew always took some kicks about his physique when he really was a fit guy who had a stockier build.Of course I didn’t say anything to defend him that night because I was too amped up on beer and hormones to really care about anything else.

Eden was in college to be a school teacher, which I felt was a noble profession, but sometimes I was sure she was just going to college because her mommy and daddy were paying for it.She didn’t always seem like the sharpest crayon in the box, but again, I wasn’t one to judge others.

“Fine,” Pat said, seeming to realize he wasn’t going to win this battle, despite the fact that he had been one of my closest friends for a long time.“We are having a guys night tomorrow night.You, me, Tavares and Cogs are going out…Without Eden.”

“Okay, sounds like a plan.”

“Oh, Sammy!” Eden practically squealed from the other side of the art/photo-shop.“Sammy! You have to come see this piece!”

I took a deep breath and slinked my way over to her.I silently cursed Patrick for not tagging along with us this morning.He insisted he was far too comfortable on my couch, which in all honesty, I couldn’t blame him.

I had to stifle a groan when I saw the painting she was pointing to.It was some crazy 3-D abstract piece that looked like a bad Picasso knock off.This was not at all what I had in mind for my house.I would have been okay with just family photos in some of those funky frames you get at Bed Bath and Beyond, but I’ve been told that I’m not the best interior decorator on the block.Cogs and Gilbert still make comments about my U-20 team picture that didn’t even fit properly in my room at the house we had shared the one year.

“Isn’t this AMAZING?!” she sighed dramatically.

“And where would you put that?”

“I was thinking of the bedroom, it screams sex!”

Whoa. Um…I guess…” I said slowly, turning my head to get a different angle of the painting, hoping I was just missing something.

Luckily, something else must have caught her eye because when I went to make a comment about not really liking it, she was no longer there.I shrugged my shoulders and continued to browse on my own.I found a section of photographs, ones of different scenery and flowers, stuff that seemed a little more normal in my book.I was flipping through the frames fairly quickly when I stopped and stared.

There at the back of the one shelf was a portrait that made me gawk.There in the middle of a dirt street, in what looked to be a middle-eastern town, were two soldiers, a woman and a man, kissing.Her helmet was lying beside them in the dirt, his bloody hand threaded through her black, shiny hair, locking them in a passionate embrace.It was so well staged that it looked like they were really in the middle of a battle.There was a Hummer, smoking like it had been blown up.The guy had some blood pooling at the side of him and the girl had some blood on the back of her coat, making it look like she too had been shot.In the background someone was frantically running towards them, while another person was kneeling as if he was shooting at a target out of the picture.

Every now and then there are scenes that grab you attention; this was definitely one of those moments for me.

“Can I help you?” a polite female voice asked, shattering the moment and causing me to jump.

“Uh, yeah, who took this photo?” I asked, stuttering.“They make it look so real.”I felt like a dork saying it, because it wasn’t like I knew much about photography.

“It’s not staged.This was actually a picture taken by an AP reporter last year in Afghanistan,” the girl said politely.“It’s funny you found this, I didn’t think we had any more prints of this.I thought of this photo the day the papers published that couple kissing on the street in Vancouver,” she smiled to herself.

“But it looks like they were both shot…”

“They were,” she said, suddenly sounding sad.I watched silently as she pulled the large frame from its storage spot and flipped it around to show me the article that had accompanied it when it was published in the Toronto Sun.

6 Canadian soldiers were killed, 2 injured during a gun fight in small town in Afghanistan.AP photographer, James Nash was also injured in the battle when the Hummer he was riding in was ambushed.However, he managed to get this gut wrenching picture of two GI’s.Lieutenant Daniel Kramer and Lieutenant, Combat Nurse, Alexandra Fletcher share an intimate moment together after they were both wounded.Lt. Kramer is listed as deceased and Lt. Fletcher is listed in critical condition at Ramstein Air Force Base in Germany.

“I’ll take this,” I said as soon as I finished reading the article.I had no clue where I was going to put it, but I knew it belonged in my house.

Don't know much about Sam?? Well... check out this video, you can at least learn 10 things about him in this one... I'll post more as we go along, just for something different.

6 comments:

Why are you not making these chapters longer?! lolThis is going to kill me!!!Okay, not kill me... but I feel like it might wound me, maybe maim...I must know more!I must figure out how they meet.I must figure out a way to get rid of Eden...LOL

Ohhh wow! I will say when you put the part about when they kissed after they were shot in the last chapter I did think about the Vancouver couple! That is very funny! I will say now I want to ball my eyes out! Kramer died! That is so sad! Please tell me she will be ok?! I cant take the suspense! This story is so good!:)

Back to the story, ha, you may think I have a good memory, but my guess was actually wrong. And what's so whipped about art shopping? That's my life you're talking about, Kaner. Obviously if you find something that calls out to you, you buy it.I wonder if all this war drama is your anxiety about leaving the fanfic world and immersing yourself in school? Ah well, you can always come back, better than ever.